Also, I'm not gonna bend over backward for your (or anybody's) acknowledgement. I'll say this: I've published and taught a well received course (3 times now, actually) on this issue. If that isn't enough for you, then you're choosing not to believe me and/or have no respect for the academic peer review process.

Maybe you have. If so that's cool.

But to me all you are is some guy over the internet. You could be anyone that does anything. So until I know that your opinion has more weight, based on first hand research and what not, than no I am not going to give your opinion more weight than PKMs. Just as I will not give his more than yours.

I believe (correct me if im wrong pkm) pkm said that usage among teenagers would increase...
I think it is actually the opposite.... When i was a teenager it was quite difficult for me to get alcohol because the only place to get it was at a store (where you need ID) or from someones parents, or stand outside a store and beg people of age to buy it for you.
Now if you got it from someones parents then there was a chance that they would be pissed and kick thier childs ass, so that was a bit risky.....Waiting outside a store for some stranger to buy it for you never worked... sometimes we would just go into a gas station and grab a case and run like hell, but that was risky as well.

As for marijuana, All i had to do was go to school and i could get it from a whole bunch of different people.... Weed was WAY easier for me to aquire than alcohol.
I think if you legalize it, then it will be harder for kids to aquire it.

Also i think that if you legalize it then there will be less people doing meth, cocaine, crack, heroin etc etc... I do think marijuana is a gateway drug, but i think it is BECAUSE it is illegal.
To get marijuan you must go to a drug dealer.... well alot of drug dealers can sell you some harder drugs, so i might be just wanting some weed and find out that my dealer also has some cocaine and i figure what the hell, im already breaking the law by smokin pot so i might as well try some cocaine too.

If you legalize weed then you would be buying it from a dispensary and the dispensary would not have cocaine, heroin, crack etc etc. Plus you would not be crossing that line into illegal territory by just smoking pot so you might be reluctant to try something that is illegal (harder drugs)

So for me i believe that legalization means less kids doing drugs, less people in general doing harder drugs, more money for government to use towards things like education/health care, less people in jail and court. Plus the cartels in mexico would lose some of thier power because we wouldn't need them anymore for production.

Can we move off the distraction of whether or not use will increase? That shouldn't have any bearing on whether it should be legalized or not.

Let's also realize that legalization doesn't mean that it isn't heavily regulated. It's incredible how fast this discussion goes from LEGAL to FREE AND DANGLING FROM TREES.

Prohibition is essentially an attempt to regulate by bringing the flow to zero (doesnt work). There are several legalization arguments that simply want a more realistic and effective mode of regulation. These folks can say this whilst, without contradiction, saying that they absolutely do not support consumption.

But to me all you are is some guy over the internet. You could be anyone that does anything. So until I know that your opinion has more weight, based on first hand research and what not, than no I am not going to give your opinion more weight than PKMs. Just as I will not give his more than yours.

If that doesn't work for you than to bad.

How long have I been around? How many times have I cited my expertise? If I were pulling this **** regularly around here, then I should be put out of my misery, but I very rarely do. Just factor that in.

What makes you think there would be more usage amongst minors than there already is? How many teenagers do you know that drink but don't smoke pot simply because it's illegal? If you know even one, that's one more than I've ever known.

I definitely know people like that actually. It's a sad/weird thing, but kids like that do exist.

There's no way for any of us to know whether usage goes up with legalization. My bet would be that it at least triples, minimum.

My opinion: Weed is so ridiculously easy to get, most everyone who wants to smoke it does. Maybe not as frequently as they would if it were legal... There will be, of course, some who do only if it's legal, but I would be highly shocked if it were a significant number.

Originally Posted by Stoked

I think weed use amoung adult would dramatically increase because adults that stopped smoking for a job, say teaching or law enforcement would no longer have to refrain from smoking.

This statement assumes that legalization translates into employer acceptance. I'm guessing many employers would still retain (or newly implement) policies regarding employee use. The impetus to abstain would largely remain in place.

For the record, I haven't used marijuana, and don't plan on ever using it, but it's ridiculous that we not only turn away a huge tax revenue opportunity, but waste millions fighting a futile battle against it.

My opinion: Weed is so ridiculously easy to get, most everyone who wants to smoke it does. Maybe not as frequently as they would if it were legal... There will be, of course, some who do only if it's legal, but I would be highly shocked if it were a significant number.

This statement assumes that legalization translates into employer acceptance. I'm guessing many employers would still retain (or newly implement) policies regarding employee use. The impetus to abstain would largely remain in place.

For the record, I haven't used marijuana, and don't plan on ever using it, but it's ridiculous that we not only turn away a huge tax revenue opportunity, but waste millions fighting a futile battle against it.

Not trying to argue against legalization or anything, but weed isn't ridiculously easy to get for everyone. You have to know someone to get it. So if you aren't a smoker already, or connected to smokers, it's not easy to get. You get argue legalizing it could make it easier for people who aren't connected to smoking in anyway to start smoking.

Not trying to argue against legalization or anything, but weed isn't ridiculously easy to get for everyone. You have to know someone to get it. So if you aren't a smoker already, or connected to smokers, it's not easy to get. You get argue legalizing it could make it easier for people who aren't connected to smoking in anyway to start smoking.

Everyone knows someone. Maybe they aren't aware they know someone, but if they start asking around someone will at least point them in the right direction.

Let's also realize that legalization doesn't mean that it isn't heavily regulated. It's incredible how fast this discussion goes from LEGAL to FREE AND DANGLING FROM TREES.

Prohibition is essentially an attempt to regulate by bringing the flow to zero (doesnt work). There are several legalization arguments that simply want a more realistic and effective mode of regulation. These folks can say this whilst, without contradiction, saying that they absolutely do not support consumption.

Weed is the same as alcohol in that outlawing either creates an underground community where adults, mainly young adults I'd guess, are willing to sell to minors as everyone in the underground has risk and is theoretically playing by the unwritten rules. Make it legal and adults might tell the kids to piss off as they don't get the benefits that goes along with being connected to the underground. That's my speculation anyway..

Weed is not like alcohol as growing your own isn't expensive like brewing your own is. It would take a lot of time for the legal version to push the illegal toward the edges. Also, it would be very easy to replace the legal with illegal. It's not like you have to package the stuff in sealed bottles meant to hold the carbonation inside. The long shelf life of the legal stuff would also lend itself to dispersion, unlike alcohol which is bought in smaller, consumable quantities.

Originally Posted by Cyrone Torbin

Not trying to argue against legalization or anything, but weed isn't ridiculously easy to get for everyone. You have to know someone to get it. So if you aren't a smoker already, or connected to smokers, it's not easy to get. You get argue legalizing it could make it easier for people who aren't connected to smoking in anyway to start smoking.

Go West, bruh. I don't smoke, have no intentions to. I could get weed in 20 minutes if I wanted. I could get weed from this board and feel completely comfortable doing so if I wanted to. And that's coming from a conservatively oriented, risk averse personality. There is weed.

My opinion: Weed is so ridiculously easy to get, most everyone who wants to smoke it does. Maybe not as frequently as they would if it were legal... There will be, of course, some who do only if it's legal, but I would be highly shocked if it were a significant number.

This statement assumes that legalization translates into employer acceptance. I'm guessing many employers would still retain (or newly implement) policies regarding employee use. The impetus to abstain would largely remain in place.

For the record, I haven't used marijuana, and don't plan on ever using it, but it's ridiculous that we not only turn away a huge tax revenue opportunity, but waste millions fighting a futile battle against it.

The first person to be fired for a pit positive drug test will sue and win. As long as they are not high during duty hours there is not much the employer can do.